London & Love
by Icehale
Summary: In which the Matthews end up moving to London. But when Riley's about to go to college, Lucas has a plan up his sleeve.


**Icehale: Yes, I know my bio says that I'm hiatus, and technically, I still am. But when I heard about the London plot line, I knew I had to write something about it. So here it is, and hopefully, you guys like it. And here's to Netflix continuing the show! Let's hope they do!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Girl Meets World.**

London. It was the place Riley had once believed would ruin her entire life.

Quite possibly, the result was the exact opposite of what she had thought back in freshman year. She'd made a few friends, though none of them had come close to her friendships with everyone back in New York.

Of course, Riley still Skyped Maya everyday. They had known each other since they were seven years old; there was no way she would just leave her best friend behind. And the brunette made sure she sent messages along for Maya to deliver to their other friends as well, who Riley still texted on a monthly basis.

Lucas, however, was the one she kept in touch with the most.

He had taken her leaving the hardest, and had made sure to send her at least an inspirational message every day, whether she replied or not. Riley did try to reply most of the time, even though she didn't see it until the morning sometimes due to the differing time zones. But she still hadn't seen him since she left.

Riley shook the thoughts of her first love out of her head, walking quickly across the busy city street to get back to her family's flat. There wasn't any rain that day, and she was definitely relieved. She had to go shopping for a bit in order to get a few more clothes for university. There were only a few weeks left until it was time to go, after all.

As Riley was rushing, she bumped into a young man. She groaned as she fell, hoping she had left her clumsy tendencies back in her New York life. Before she hit the ground, however, Riley felt a pair of warm arms envelop her and keep her from falling.

"Thank you," she murmured to her savior, looking up to see who it was. All the brunette caught was green eyes, looking at her in amusement, before she took in the rest of his face.

"Still clumsy to this day Riles?" Lucas Friar teased fondly, pulling her up again.

"Unfortunately," Riley breathed, her eyes wide in surprise. "Lucas, what are you doing here?"

Lucas hesitated. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just felt like I had to come."

"Well it's great to see you!" she exclaimed, pulling him in a hug. "I can't believe you're here though. Come with me, my parents are going to be so excited to see you!"

"Hopefully," Lucas agreed, biting his lip to conceal a smile.

The brunette pulled him along the city streets, weaving her way around expertly. The green-eyed Texan watched her in awe. It had only been a few years since Riley had moved, and she already seemed like she had been living here her entire life.

"What?" Riley asked, noticing his look. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No," he assured her. "It's just…you've changed so much, but you're still the same Riley you've always been."

Riley smiled softly at him, a pink tint rising to her cheeks. "You've always been amazing at charming people," she told him. "You haven't changed much in that way either."

"Maybe not," he agreed, chuckling slightly.

She rolled her eyes affectionately, letting go of his hand as they arrived at an older looking building. "Here we are," she said, pulling out her keys and unlocking the door.

The pair stepped inside, and almost immediately, Topanga arrived at the entrance. "Riley!" she exclaimed. "I wasn't expecting you for a bit."

"I finished a little early," Riley responded, stepping to the side to reveal Lucas behind her. "Look who I ran into on my way back!"

"Lucas!" Topanga greeted, almost a little too loudly. "I…wasn't expecting you. It's great to see you!"

She grabbed him in a hug. "Cory just left," she muttered into his ear. "I'll call him and tell him there's been a change of plans."

"Of course," Lucas whispered back before pulling away and grinning conspiratorially at Topanga.

She pushed at him and Riley to go upstairs. "You two hang out for a bit and reconnect," Topanga encouraged.

"Okay," Riley agreed, a suspicious look in her eye as she started up the stairs. Lucas followed her, his eyes shooting to her mother one last time in warning.

He knew that their plan would never work out perfectly, but would it be crazy to hope for its success?

As they crossed through Riley's doorway, their chatter was already dominating the room.

"You're going to NYU?" she asked, her brown eyes lighting up in happy surprise. "I am too!"

Lucas gave her a wink. "I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of each other," he said, a broad grin covering his face.

"We will," she replied, so excited that she reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

A silence overtook the room as both took in the full repercussions of that small, innocent kiss. Riley felt the butterflies in her stomach from so many years ago return, and a light pink tint rose to her face. Lucas gazed at her, a stupid beam present on his face.

"I – I wasn't expecting that," the brunette admitted, biting her lip to conceal a smile.

He looked at her adoringly. "Neither was I," the former Texan agreed.

—

Talking and communication had always been such a large part of the pair's relationship. So it really wasn't a surprise for Topanga to see her daughter and Lucas chatting happily.

What was a surprise, however, was the blush present on both of their faces.

She cleared her throat, a wide smile on her face. Riley and Lucas jumped at the sound, an expression of panic now taking over their faces.

"I thought you might want to know that Cory's back," Topanga informed them.

"Oh yes!" Riley exclaimed, springing off of her bed. "We'll be right down."

Her mother nodded and left, but Riley could have sworn that she was trying to hide a smile. The young woman shrugged, turning back to Lucas.

"You ready to see my father again?" she asked.

Lucas nodded. "I just hope he won't take another one of my shoes again," he joked.

Riley rolled her eyes with a chuckle, pulling him up as well. "Let's go then," she said, making her way downstairs.

Lucas laughed as he followed her. Mr. Matthews wouldn't chase him away that time. Not when their plan was just about to be put into play.

—

The Matthews had invited him to stay for dinner, and Lucas had gladly accepted the offer. He knew, after all, that Riley's parents were going to tell her about their plan.

It was a long period of time to wait, making small talk as he fidgeted. But finally, finally, Riley's mother gave him a nod. Lucas almost sighed of relief. It was absolutely brutal to try to keep a secret from the cheerful girl.

"Riley," Cory began. "You know how you'll be going to NYU in the spring?"

"Yes," she replied, a cautious look taking over her features. "What about it?"

Topanga took over. "It's a great opportunity, of course," she said. "And – "

"Are you not letting me go?" Riley cut in. "Because if you are, just tell me."

"Honey, no, of course not!" Cory exclaimed. "It's the exact opposite, actually. We're sending you early."

"For the summer program?" the brunette asked, surprised. "I thought you said that it was expensive, and you couldn't send me for it."

"Actually, that's the other part of the surprise," Topanga told her. "You see, Lucas didn't come suddenly. He came to take you."

Lucas nodded when Riley turned to him. He gave her a small grin, hoping she didn't hate what they'd had planned.

"Lucas," Riley breathed. "I can't – this is huge. How did you even know I got into NYU?"

"Maya," he said, as if that explained everything. And really it did.

Riley pressed her hand to her mouth, her eyes full of emotion and thankfulness. She didn't have to verbally give him her thanks. The look on her face was enough for Lucas.

"Can we go out?" Riley suddenly questioned, turning to her parents.

Cory's face turned defiant, and he opened his mouth to say something.

"Of course," Topanga cut him off, giving her husband a look. "Go have fun."

"Thank you," Riley gave her mother a grateful grin. She tugged Lucas out of the dining room, and outside into the peaceful London streets.

"I just want to say thank you," she said to him as the pair strolled around, not really having a specific place in mind. "Thank you for doing this."

"It was no problem," Lucas waved it off. "You've been talking about attending the summer program at NYU since Josh went."

"Yes, but I never really knew anyone paid attention to it," Riley admitted. "Especially since I only talked about it once, and it was just a passing comment."

"I know you, Riley," Lucas told her fondly. "You've been my friend for a while, and I remember the important things, the ones you never want to forget."

Riley bit her lip, once again feeling the pink tint arise to her cheeks. But this time, she felt a passionate emotion accompany it. That feeling, the burning in her heart, encapsulated her, and she looked up at her very first love.

"Lucas," she grabbed his attention. "Can I kiss you?"

He didn't say anything. But when he nodded, she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

And really, that was all she had to do.


End file.
